hurts
by dernier cri
Summary: - "... Is there a special lady in your life?" / "Not since Korra and I broke up." - Based on the episode preview.


_"__... Is there a special lady in your life?" _

_"__Not since Korra and I broke up."_

It felt strange to have said it out loud. Wu looked incredulously at him, though all Mako could think about were the true impact of his words. He hadn't really been interested in anyone else since he and Korra broke up, he realized, only to be dragged to sit on the floor with Wu.

"When was this?" asked Wu enthusiastically. He was practically shaking Mako, though his grip on Mako's shirt was hardly very strong.

"A couple years ago," Mako answered honestly. The weird thing about it was that it didn't really _feel_ like it had been years since they had been together.

"Why did she break up with you?" Wu gazed up at him curiously, under the impression that because Korra was the Avatar, she had to have been the one to break up with Mako.

"We just didn't work out, okay?" Mako replied as he crossed his arms and twisted out of Wu's grasp. It wasn't like the reason was embarrassing. He and Korra had broken up on good terms and they were still good friends, but Mako felt like his breakup with Korra was something that was just something that he had trouble discussing with others.

"Okay, okay," said Wu, putting his hands in the air, "don't be so touchy!"

"Well - I - This is not a subject that -"

"Mako, I hear yah," Wu cut him off. "If I was dating the Avatar and she broke up with me, I would be absolutely devastated for her. I would be a huge loss, but you're not such a bad catch yourself!"

Mako stared incredulously at Wu and put his hands on his hips, but before he could say anything, Wu continued.

"Oh _I_ see," Wu exclaimed excitedly, jumping to his feet. "You can't talk about it before you still have feelings for her!"

"What?" Mako shouted, getting to his feet. "I didn't even say anything!"

"You don't have to! It's all over your face!" said Wu, who appeared as giddy as Jinora after she read those weird romance books.

"Wu, we're here to help you learn how to defend yourself so you don't get kidnapped again," Mako said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking slightly exasperated.

"Fine, fine," Wu rolled his eyes. "But one last question."

"Fine, whatever," Mako agreed.

"Did you love her?" Wu asked, his eyes full of childish curiosity. He seemed to move closer to Mako as he awaited the answer, but Mako couldn't help but sigh slightly, his eyes darting around the room and looking at every object before answering Wu's question. Part of Wu wanted to know because he loved gossip, but the other part of Wu wanted to know because Mako seemed like a puzzle he would have to solve - though apparently he wasn't raised by a bunch of cops in the woods - and it seemed like the Avatar played a big role in it.

"Yes," he answered honestly, almost as a whisper. Korra was someone that Mako would always care about. When she was gone, he found his thoughts wandering towards her. When he was alone, he would occasionally pull out the photograph he had of them together and remember the good times they had. Sometimes he wondered how different things would have been if they tried staying together and worked out their differences, but those thoughts also scared him because he also thought about how badly things could have ended between them. "Always will. She - she knows that."

Wu was rather curious about his behavior. Not usually one to be quiet, Wu put his hand to his chin and stared at Mako curiously, who seemed to be more interested in the floor than he was at Wu.

"I'm guessing that means you don't think I have much of a chance with her, do you?" Wu inquired, still watching Mako.

"I'm going to get going, Wu," Mako sighed deeply, taking off his headgear and turning his back to him. "I think it's time to for dinner."

He exited the room without waiting for Wu to follow and made his way to his room. He threw his head gear onto the floor and sat on his bed, combing his fingers through his hair as he sat with his head in his hands. For years it had been easy to avoid talking about his previous relationship with Korra. He had missed her so much when she was gone and he worried so much about her whenever things happened to her, but those were just what friends did for each other, because that's what they were: friends.

Mako stood up and reached into the pocket of his jacket that he had left lying on the floor about an hour before, searching for a photograph that he usually kept there of them. It was just a friendly reminder of their friendship, because it was something that he valued. As soon as he saw her face, Mako felt a pang in his heart.

Korra was driving him crazy.


End file.
